The week six’ly rap up

Here we are at the end of our ethics course where I find that this writing shenanigan’s has been quite delightful.  After throwing my mind out onto a typed up page every week and reading some peoples blogs and opinions about the worlds issues, some of which made me feel as though I was in fact intellectually devolving; I also came across a fair amount of opinions and points that influenced my own thoughts.

At the beginning of the ethics course I can honestly say that I was highly unsure of what was to come and additionally, what to expect from a course taught online. Reasons being, I tend to be more of an outdoors kind of chap and  i am not particularly updated on all the new (to my knowledge) blogging type advances in social networking, and furthermore, to all my previous lectures being on a face to face tutorial basis that has never been online. As strange as it seemed, the frustratingly tedious task of getting my blog up and running actually left me with a feeling of achievement knowing that I had created my own blog and made it my own. My thoughts about online courses with social interaction have indeed changed from one that was highly speculative to what is now a more positive outlook on its potential.

Looking back on what I’ve written I find that I can relate and agree with many other bloggers around the same topic. One example being the post of a fellow blogger on the topic of torture, even though his thoughts were different to mine, I felt a sense of relation between his opinion and my own http://itsumr09.wordpress.com/2013/08/07/torture-is-for-the-weak/. My views about the topic did not change but were seen in a different light around what torture actually is https://jarrydpagel.wordpress.com/2013/08/09/an-eye-for-an-eye-and-the-whole-worlds-blind/.

Morality, I believe, is not such an easy human trait to change as it is deeply imbedded into our personality over time. However it was rather interesting to read some moral views of the different people within the ethics course and how their morals affected the opinion and outcome of their blogs https://jarrydpagel.wordpress.com/2013/07/27/empathy-a-bit-of-a-burden/.

As far as euthanasia is concerned, my thoughts are about as impenetrable as badger skin, as they come from a few years of firsthand experience of dealing with death and immense pain and suffering https://jarrydpagel.wordpress.com/2013/08/15/euthanasia-add-some-spice-to-your-iv-line/. I did however find it to be quite a touchy subject where some individuals appeared to be rather “sad panda” about my comparison between animals and humans.  If only these individuals had recognized my attempted use of euphemism in order to better explain the topic at hand. Some touch people indeed…

I would like to conclude this last ethics blog by saying that it went beyond what I expected as I am the furthest thing from a writer of any sort, but when I started banging a few letters on my keyboard like an orangutan on acid, it seemed to flow and was actually quite enjoyable.

Everybody Wang Chung tonight

Pagel out

Euthanasia – Add some spice to your IV line

So, your dog is old gets really sick, things aren’t looking good at all. The poor guy has been around far longer then everyone expected and he’s had a great life, but now he’s old and sick and starting to suffer. What do you do? Well I’m sure most people would agree that you take your dog to the vet, and if there’s a poor prognosis, well, you’re sad but you feel a little better that you can make a choice to end his suffering with one small injection that gently and painlessly puts him into a deep sleep while being comforted by his family, and then he’s gone. Sickness, suffering and problem solved. This choice of course, as opposed to letting your dog suffer for days or even weeks on end until the harsh hand of death cracks open his money box and takes his life savings…

Great, so if you find it comforting to know that your loving pet had no suffering at the end of its happy life and parted ways while being comforted by the family, why not do the same for a human being?

Euthanasia will most probably always be a topic of continuous debate and ethical uprising in the modern world. But before thinking of it as assisted suicide of medical murder, try to be logical. Try imagining the worst pain you have ever experienced. Now, combined that with severe depression and possible medical debt that has left you feeling poorer then a church mouse who’s just received an enormous tax bill, on the very same day his wife left him, taking with her all of the cheese. Rather harsh and disheartening, however, there are people experiencing these emotions on a daily basis, just waiting to die and get their suffering over with. My point being that, surely if an animal gets to be given a peaceful and painless end to life, shouldn’t we be given the option if the situation arose within our lives? Additionally, how is it that someone may decide on your behalf, when you are capable of making your own decisions that you should suffer until you die naturally? It’s all a bit selfish now isn’t it…?

If we look at Australia’s Northern Territory, they became the first in the world to legalize euthanasia, along with other countries. At a closer look, you may notice that these few countries all have something in common, and that is that they are essentially, all highly organized first world countries. http://www.life.org.nz/euthanasia/euthanasialegalkeyissues/global-euthanasia-laws/. This link shows how these countries have put together certain criteria that allow for the grounds of euthanasia.

Having said this, if we are all truly free to make decisions about our own health like stated in the Patient’s Rights Charter provided by the HPCSA at booklet 3 section 2.2, http://www.hpcsa.co.za/downloads/conduct_ethics/rules/generic_ethical_rules/booklet_3_patients_rights_charter.pdf , then why should a person not have a say in their voluntary death and end to suffering?

Is homosexuality a choice? Part of equality debate

Here is a clip of some scientific studies done on homosexuality from pure science, without interference from personal views or beliefs. Watch it and think for yourself.

Torture Part II

I’v added a link of how a torture scenario could in fact play out, enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAoIXvD7KgU

 

An eye for an eye and the whole worlds blind

 

Torture, what a savage thing… But is it necessary on the odd occasion? Perhaps so…

If we look at torture from a healthcare perspective it would seem obvious that this type of behavior is unacceptable and unnecessary, and altogether rather silly. As a healthcare practitioner; by torturing someone that requires medical attention and rehabilitation such as a patient in a hospital setting, it would be far beyond what you as a practitioner most probably aimed to achieve. We go through the ball ache of a health science degree due to our fascination of the workings of the human body, and/or the passion we hold to attain the ability to be able to fix, cure, and prevent medical conditions faced by people.

However, if we flip the pancake, we may come across an alternative scenario. Let me paint you a picture with my imagination brush. A hand full of soldiers specially trained in anti-terrorism tactics with a life time dedication to their jobs have been dispatched on a mission to Kazakhstan. They do a splendid job and discover a hideout cluttered with a few hooligans on heroin that are known to be involved in terrorist attacks. Upon capturing these youths, the soldiers hear from base that there is a potential threat to another suicide bomb attack in central London of which these hooligans were linked.

Now, how would one get an uneducated heathen bound by his unforgiving religious beliefs to ‘spill the beans’ on their colleague’s plots to kill many innocent civilians in a suicide attack? Perhaps talking it through over a cold beer around a fire, or over a civilized cup of tea and some scones? Hmm, I somewhat doubt it. Now on the other hand, if you were to start cutting off fingers, I guarantee, by the time the hooligan is missing his 3^rd finger, he will have told you half his life story.

Point being made, torture is not the greatest or humane way to treat anyone or anything, but are there exceptions when peoples live are at risk due to a few hooligans with explosives? Maybe… 

Race, why make it a big deal…

After watching the provided video about the hippy telling me I have to have a plan in place to correct some individual that is acting or behaving in a racist manner towards another person, I concluded that the chap clearly has far too much time on his hands. Nowhere in the world has there ever been, and I doubt there ever will be total equality amongst humans and people of different race groups. What you feel or believe is your own opinion, and yes it’s fair to comment on someone’s statement if you are involved in the conversation and feel you have a different view. However, the notion of racism has exploded so far out of proportion that any negative comment made to someone from one race to another is now deemed to be a racial attack.

Racism is defined as discrimination against or hostility towards other races, giving rise to the belief that certain races are better than others and possess certain qualities and abilities. So would it be racist to say that the Chines are good at math, or the black Kenyans are great long distance runners? No? Even though I am singling out a specific race.

Now on the other hand, one’s car gets broken into and the blame is aimed at a certain race group. The thieves are apprehended and they are indeed the race group one has suggested. This is now evidently a fact, so was this a racist infliction?

More often than not, people that conger up the notion that a person of another race group is unprofessional, uncivilized or is a thief, even if this statement is of a factual basis, the remark is often said to be racist only if the notion is directed outside one’s own race, even though the evidence is purely blatant. By correcting the person without knowing the facts at hand, aren’t you yourself being ignorant and simultaneously bias?

 A spade is a spade no matter what color it is, and by pointing out racial differences every time a comment is passed across the room, aren’t you just making inequality and racism a bigger issue? If he’s and idiot, call him an idiot, no matter what race he may be.

 

Stay classy

Morality and me, we’re bro’s

So morals, an interesting topic no doubt, but what are they? Morals are referred to as the principals that a person lives by and uses to distinguish right from wrong in terms of behavior during daily life. As opposed to ethics which are more of a socially accepted set of rules to guide people’s behavior, such as a constitution or a set of laws. Morality guides an individual based on what they believe to be significant in determining what is as accepted or uncouth behavior.

Morals are developed by each individual person stemming from a number of contributing and altering factors such as childhood upbringing, poverty and wealth, and religious beliefs. But when it comes to treating a patient in a medical facility, morality tends to change the way some people treat their patients as “they’ believe the patient does not deserve to be treated equally with regards to medical assistance due to their uncouth or unmoral behavior in the eyes of the practitioner. People tend to argue this bias way of attending to a patient, and thus the development of constitutions in health that give both patients and practitioners basic rights, and the development of an set of ethical constructs by the HPCSA in South Africa that are o be adhered to by all medical practitioners. This gives all healthcare practitioners the same base line of morality in which to treat their patients, even when they believe treatment should be given otherwise or not at all. On completion of one’s medical degree, the Hippocratic Oath is taken and suggests that anyone in need of medical assistance should be attended too. If personal views and morals come between the patient and the practitioner in a problematic manner, perhaps a career in the healthcare sector may have been a mistake, especially in South Africa with our high level of violent criminals, behaving like a babbling bumbling band of baboons or hooligans on heroin.

Intellect is another profound catalyst in the development of one’s moral beliefs and thus possibly posing to be potentially problematic. Here is some food for thought coming from a scientific study. A large portion of the world follow some sort of religious belief which undoubtedly has an effect on moral development, be it positive or negative. If so, consider the fact that atheists score higher on IQ tests than religious people (Barber, 2010) http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-human-beast/201005/the-real-reason-atheists-have-higher-iqs . Additionally, taking into consideration that IQ or Intelligence Quotient supposedly has nothing to do with education and is a test of natural intelligence, how many irrational and ignorant people must there be around us at this very moment. Having said this, now think again at how this may affect the treatment of a patient that has just committed a crime, been injured, and is in need of assistance by a closed minded morally ignorant practitioner. 

Here’s a picture of some old hand grenades, enjoy them

 

Stay classy

Empathy, a bit of a burden

Pick up any old dictionary and have a look at what the meaning of empathy gives you. Do this and you’ll most probably find they all give a similar definition, something like, ‘the ability to understand and share the feelings of other people’. Having a read over the suggested article on what empathy really is and whether or not it can be taught, implies that empathy is a much deeper emotion then what most people realize. If empathy is as intricate and complex as described, and a practitioner was expected to show empathy towards every unfortunate patient, that would make for one hell of an emotional day, 5 days a week. Now look, I’m not saying you should stand there and treat a patient with an emotional well as dry as a rusk, but you should consider your own emotional safety and stability before you can assist others with their problems.

As a physiotherapist we will often be dealing with people that have experienced psychological problems and emotional changes and discomfort as a result of physical trauma and debilitating diseases. Often, patients will ask questions about their condition and share thoughts and emotions if they feel a sense of trust. Would it not be a wiser choice to keep emotional ties between patient and practitioner more superficial? Instead of trying to connect emotionally by taking on the burden of their problems, rather motivate the patient and lift them up into a more positive mind set. If they are having emotional difficulty, yes, talk to them and try to reason with them to find a possible solution to the problem that can result in a positive outcome, while still keeping somewhat of an emotional barrier. Clinical psychologists and social workers were introduced for a reason and are part of the interdisciplinary team and are available for such problems. These practitioners are trained in the art of dealing with human emotion and should be utilized. I believe that showing empathy in the way that any common dictionary describes it is a great way to deal with patients who are worried about issues related to their condition. However, patients with more intense issues should be referred to an appropriate practitioner.

Can empathy be taught? In my opinion, the concept of empathy can be explained, but whether a person chooses to make use of the emotion is entirely up to them.

 

Stay Classy

Good day

My name is Jarryd and i am currently a 3rd year physiotherapy student at the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town. I am based in Cape Town for the duration of my studies but i live in East London in the Eastern Cape. My interests include spearfishing, surfing, paddling and beer. I also have a profound interest in medicine, particularly emergency medicine, and I work as an I.L.S Medic in the emergency unit at a government hospital situated in Khayelitcha.